World Cup Opta Facts - second group games

o This will be the first ever game between Cameroon and Croatia.o This is also Croatia's first ever World Cup game against an African side.o Cameroon have won only one of their 13 World Cup games against European sides (2-1 v Romania in 1990), drawing five and losing seven.o Cameroon have only won one of their last 14 World Cup games (1-0 v Saudi Arabia in 2002), drawing four and losing nine.o Cameroon have lost their last five World Cup matches; the longest losing streak of any African nation at the tournament.o The Indomitable Lions have scored just seven goals in their last 12 World cup matches, and never more than once during this run.o Croatia will have Mario Mandzukic available for selection for the first time in this World Cup finals tournament. No player scored more headed goals than the Bayern Munich striker in the top five European leagues in 2013-14 (7).o Cameroon only attempted one shot on target in the whole of their opening group stage game against Mexico and this came in the 91st minute. o Cameroon have played 21 World Cup matches overall and their one shot on target tally against Mexico in the opening game was the fewest they've ever mustered in a WC finals match.o Croatia have not won any of their last five World Cup matches (L3 D2), with their last WC finals victory coming in 2002 versus Italy (2-1).

o This is the first World Cup encounter between Australia and the Netherlands.o Australia are unbeaten in their three previous meetings against the Netherlands (W1 D2). Their last encounter was on 10 October 2009 in a Sydney friendly (0-0).o Australia have won one of their six World Cup encounters with European sides (2-1 v Serbia in 2010), drawing one and losing four. They have never kept a clean sheet in any of these games.o Robin van Persie has scored 10 goals in his last nine appearances for Netherlands.o Arjen Robben has scored seven goals in his last seven appearances for the Netherlands.o Following their goals against Spain, both Robben and van Persie became the first Netherlands players to score in three different World Cup tournaments (2006, 2010, 2014).o Tim Cahill has scored in three World Cups for Australia; no other Australian has done so in more than one tournament.o Cahill (four goals, one assist) has now been involved in 56% of Australia's goals (9) in World Cup history.o Australia have won just two of their previous 11 World Cup matches (L6 D3).o Netherlands are unbeaten in their last 11 World Cup group stage matches, winning eight and drawing three. Their last group stage defeat came back in 1994 versus Belgium.

o Chile have never beaten Spain in their 10 previous encounters (D2 L8).o Spain have won the two previous meetings with Chile at the World Cup: in 1950 (2-0) and in 2010 (2-1). The game in 1950 was played at the Maracanã; which is where this encounter is taking place.o Chile have lost their two previous World Cup games against the defending champion, both against Brazil (in 1962 and 1998).o In their group opener against the Netherlands, Spain conceded 5+ goals in an international for the first time since losing 6-2 to Scotland in June 1963.o Only once before had Spain conceded 5+ goals in a World Cup game (1-6 vs Brazil in Brazil in 1950).o Spain lost their opening game of the 2010 World Cup finals (0-1 v Switzerland) but became the first team to ever lift the World Cup trophy after having lost their opening game of the tournament.o Spain's 1-5 defeat to the Netherlands was the heaviest margin of defeat by a reigning World Cup champion in the history of the tournament (four goals). The previous heaviest were Brazil losing 0-3 v France in 1998 and West Germany losing 3-6 v France in 1958.o Alexis Sanchez has been involved in seven of the last eight goals that Chile have scored (six assists and one goal). o Spain have not lost back to back internationals since October 2006 (2-3 v Northern Ireland and 0-2 v Sweden).o The Spaniards conceded more goals in 90 minutes against Netherlands (5) than they had in their previous nine international matches combined (4).o Spain have won just one of their last five internationals played at a neutral venue (L2 D2) and that victory was a 2-0 win over El Salvador (FIFA Ranked 68th) in Washington earlier this month.

o This will be the first ever game between Colombia and Ivory Coast.o Colombia's record against African sides at the World Cup is balanced with one defeat (against Cameroon in 1990) and one win (against Tunisia in 1998).o Ivory Coast's two previous World Cup games against South American sides both ended in defeats (1-2 v Argentina in 2006 and 1-3 v Brazil in 2010).o José Pekerman's first game at the World Cup as manager was in charge of Argentina against Ivory Coast, back in 2006. His side won 2-1.o Colombia registered their best result at the World Cup in their last game against Greece (3-0).o Two of Ivory Coast's three wins at the World Cup have come after conceding the opening goal (3-2 v Serbia in 2006 and 2-1 v Japan in 2014).o Seven of Ivory Coast's 11 goals at the World Cup have been scored after the 60th minute of games.o Ivory Coast have failed to score once in their seven World Cup games (0-0 v Portugal in 2010).o Didier Drogba has scored both of Ivory Coast's goals against South American sides at the World Cup (v Argentina in 2006 and v Brazil in 2010).o Juan Cuadrado and Serge Aurier both delivered two assists in their first game at this World Cup.

o This is Japan and Greece's first World Cup encounter.o Their only previous meeting was in the 2005 Confederations Cup with Japan securing a 1-0 win thanks to a goal by Masashi Oguro. Yasuhito Endo is the only current member of the Japan squad to have taken part in that game.o Greece's only previous World Cup fixture against an Asian side was in 2010 when they lost 2-0 against South Korea in their opening game.o Japan have won twice in their seven encounters against European sides at the World Cup (D2, L3).o Greece have lost six of their seven World Cup games (W1).o Greece have failed to score in six of their seven World Cup games. Only against Nigeria in 2010 did they manage to find the net (2-1 - Dimitris Salpingidis and Vasilis Torosidis).o Greece have failed to keep a clean sheet in their seven World Cup encounters.o Greece have conceded an average of 2.6 goals per game at the World Cup, the highest ratio amongst the 32 teams involved in this tournament.o Keisuke Honda has been involved in four of Japan's last five goals at the World Cup (3 goals, 1 assist). He is Japan top-scorer in the competition (3 goals).o Giorgios Samaras has attempted more shots without scoring at the World Cup than any other Greek player (9, including blocked shots).

o England are winless against Uruguay at the World Cup. They've met twice: in 1954 (Uruguay won 4-2 in the quarter-finals) and 1966 (0-0).o Their last encounter dates back to 1 March 2006 in a friendly at Anfield. England won 2-1 thanks to goals from Peter Crouch and Joe Cole.o England have scored in each of their last eight World Cup encounters with South American sides.o Uruguay played twice in São Paulo the last time the World Cup was held in Brazil (1950), drawing 2-2 against Spain and winning 3-2 against Sweden.o England recorded their highest ever World Cup pass completion rate (91%) in the opening match vs Italy (1966-2014).o Daniel Sturridge has scored three goals in his last four appearances for England.o Wayne Rooney is yet to score a World Cup goal. This will be his 10th game, if he plays.o Rooney created more chances than any other player in the England vs Italy game (3, including one assist).o Uruguay continued their run of not winning an opening group game since 1970 and they have won only once in their second game in their last six World Cup appearances.o Uruguay have picked up a red card in two of their last four games at the World Cup.o England have never conceded 2+ goals in three successive World Cup games before.

o This is Italy and Costa Rica's first World Cup encounter.o Their only previous meeting was in a friendly on 11 June 1994 at New Haven in the United States before that year's World Cup. Italy won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Giuseppe Signori.o Costa Rica have scored in each of their six World Cup games against teams from the UEFA confederation.o Italy's pass completion of 93% vs England is the highest rate ever recorded in a World Cup game (1966-2014).o Italy have scored in their last 15 World Cup games, a record run for them and the best current run of any side.o Andrea Pirlo made 108 passes in Italy's first game but 59 of them were in his own half.o Other than Mexico and the USA, no CONCACAF team has ever won consecutive games at the World Cup.o Italy have not won their second game at a World Cup in any of the last three editions. (D2 L1).o If England and Uruguay draw then a win for either side will see them through to the Round of 16.

o Switzerland and France last met on 13 June 2006 - it was in Stuttgart in their opening game of that year's World Cup. The game ended 0-0; it was their only previous encounter at the World Cup.o France are unbeaten in their last five games against Switzerland (W2 D3). The Nati's last win against their neighbours dates back to 27 May 1992 in a friendly played in Lausanne (2-1).o Switzerland are yet to beat France in a competitive game (qualifiers + major tournaments), drawing three and losing one (Euro 2004 group stages).o The last three games between Switzerland and France have all been drawn and have only produced two goals.o France have scored 99 goals in World Cup history. Only four teams (Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina) have netted more.o In their opening games, both teams enjoyed more possession than they had previously managed in a single World Cup game since 1966 - France (70.8%) and Switzerland (62.16%).o Thanks to his brace against Honduras, Karim Benzema became the first France player to score two goals in a single World Cup game since Zinedine Zidane scored a brace in the 1998 final. o The Real Madrid striker has scored eight goals in his last seven caps.o Three of France's last six goals in the World Cup have come from the penalty spot.o Eight of Switzerland's last 10 goals at the World Cup have come in the second half.o Ricardo Rodriguez delivered two assists in his first game at the World Cup. He provided more assists than any other defender in the 2013-14 German Bundesliga (9).

o This will be the first World Cup meeting between Honduras and Ecuador.o Ecuador are unbeaten in their last three meetings with Honduras, all in friendlies (W1 D2). Honduras' last win came on the 12th September 2007 (2-1).o Ecuador forward Jaime Ayovi has scored three goals in his last two games against Honduras.o Current Ecuador head-coach Reinaldo Rueda was in charge of Honduras at the 2010 World Cup, a tournament during which the Central American side failed to score (D1 L2).o Current Honduras head-coach Luis Fernando Suarez was in charge of Ecuador at the 2006 World Cup, where he took La Tri to the last 16, the country's best ever performance in the tournament.o Honduras have failed to score in their last five World Cup games and they are still waiting for a win at the World Cup (D3 L4).o Honduras finished their opening game with just 29.2% possession; their worst return from a World Cup match.o Ecuador have gone six matches in all competitions without keeping a clean sheet.o Enner Valencia has scored in each of his last five appearances for Ecuador. o None of Ecuador's eight World Cup games have finished as a draw (W3 L5).

o This is Argentina and Iran's first World Cup encounter.o Their only previous meeting was in a friendly on 22 March 1977 in Madrid, with the game ending 1-1.o Iran's only previous World Cup game against a South American side was a 4-1 defeat against Peru in 1978.o Argentina have won ten and lost just one of their last 13 World Cup group games (D2), scoring 26 and conceding just five in total in this run.o Argentina have won five of their last six World Cup games, with the 4-0 defeat against Germany in 2010 the only exception.o Lionel Messi has scored one goal in one game at the 2014 World Cup, that's already as many as in his eight games at the World Cups 2006 and 2010 combined.o Iran have won only one of their ten games at the World Cup (D3 L6), against USA in 1998 (2-1).o Argentina have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last three World Cup games, the last time they failed to do so in four successive matches was in the 80's (1982/86).o The last two goals Iran have scored at World Cups have come from corners (both in 2006).o Five of the last nine goals Iran have conceded at World Cups have been headed.

o This will be the first ever game between Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina.o Nigeria have won four, lost four and drawn once against European sides at the World Cup.o Nigeria haven't won any of their last nine World Cup games (D3 L6), their last victory was a 1-0 over Bulgaria in 1998. o Vedad Ibisevic netted Bosnia-Herzegovina's first ever World Cup goal against Argentina. He had already found the net eight times in the European World Cup qualifiers.o Nigeria's last World Cup goal from open play came in 2002 (Aghahowa against Sweden). Since then, the Eagles have mustered just three goals in five games, all from dead-ball situations.o Five of the last six goals Nigeria have conceded at the World Cup have come from set-pieces.o No player was involved in more goals than Edin Dzeko in the European qualifiers (14 - 10 goals, 4 assists).o Bosnia and Herzegovina attempted more shots at goal (11) than their opponents Argentina (9) in the opening match.

o Germany have won their two previous games against Ghana, in a friendly on 14 April 1993 (6-1) and in the World Cup group stages on 23 June 2010 (1-0).o All seven of Germany's goals against Ghana have been scored from the 60th minute onwards.o Germany's only defeat against an African side at the World Cup was against Algeria on 16 June 1982 (1-2), winning four and drawing one.o Germany have only lost one of their last 19 games in the group stages of the World Cup, it was against Serbia on 18 June 2010 (0-1), winning 14 and drawing four.o Ghana have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five World Cup games. They have conceded just six goals in the process, however.o Germany have opened their last seven World Cups with a victory; the last time they failed to win their opening game was back in 1986, when they drew 1-1 with Uruguay.o However Germany have won their second World Cup group game on just one occasion since 1994 (D3 L1), it was in 2006 v Poland (1-0). In 2010 they lost 1-0 to Serbia.o Four of the last six World Cup goals Ghana have conceded have come from set-pieces, including the late winner for the USA in their opener.o Miroslav Klose currently has 14 World Cup goals - only Brazilian star Ronaldo has more (15).o Thomas Müller has scored eight goals in seven World Cup games and seven in his last four.

o The overall record between the USA and Portugal is perfectly balanced with two wins each, one draw and five goals each.o The USA have won their last two games against Portugal, including their encounter during the group stages of the 2002 World Cup (3-2). It's their only meeting at the World Cup. Current Portugal head-coach Paulo Bento came on as a substitute in that game.o There were two own goals during the USA's 3-2 win against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup - it had never happened before or since in the competition. o Jürgen Klinsmann beat Portugal as head-coach of Germany at the 2006 World Cup. It was in the third place final (3-1).o Portugal have only won one of their last eight games at the World Cup (7-0 v North Korea in 2010), drawing three and losing four.o Cristiano Ronaldo has scored two goals from a total of 55 shots at the World Cup.o The USA have only kept two clean sheets in their last 24 games at the World Cup.o The 4-0 defeat against Germany was Portugal's heaviest World Cup defeat ever, and also the first time they conceded four goals in this competition.o The USA have scored in seven successive World Cup games and could now equal their association record (8, 1930 - 1990).

o Belgium are unbeaten against Russia (W2 D1) since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.o This is their second encounter at the World Cup, with Belgium winning 3-2 in the group stages of the 2002 edition. Current Belgian head-coach Marc Wilmots scored the winning goal in that game.o Romelu Lukaku scored a brace in their last encounter, a 2-0 friendly win for Belgium in Voronezh on 17 November 2010.o Lukaku failed to register a single touch in the opposition area in his 58 minute appearance against Algeria.o Belgium's possession figure of 67.1% against Algeria is the best they've managed in a World Cup game since 1966.o It took Marouane Fellaini just five minutes to score his first World Cup goal after coming on as a substitute versus Algeria. He didn't score a single goal in 1431 minutes of competitive action for Manchester United in 2013-14.o Thibaut Courtois is yet to lose a match with the Belgium national team (P18 W12 D6).o The last eight goals that Russia have scored in World Cup finals matches have come after half-time.o Aleksandr Kerzhakov has now joined Vladimir Beschastnykh as joint-top goalscorer for Russia with 26 goalso Kerzhakov had been on the field for three minutes and 16 seconds when he scored Russia's equaliser against South Korea.o Belgium played a higher proportion of passes in the opposition half (68.4%) than any other side in the opening round of group stage games.

o This is South Korea and Algeria's first World Cup encounter.o Their only previous meeting was in a friendly on 14 December 1985 in the Mexican city of Nezahualcoyotl, with the game ending in a 2-0 win for South Korea.o South Korea are unbeaten in their two previous World Cup games against African sides, winning against Togo in 2006 (2-1) and drawing against Nigeria in 2010 (2-2).o Sofiane Feghouli's goal from the penalty spot against Belgium was the only shot that Algeria managed to hit on target in their opening game.o In fact, Algeria attempted only three shots (inc. blocked) in the whole match against Belgium - no side attempted fewer in the opening round of group stage matches.o South Korea have won just one of their last six World Cup group stage games (W1 D3 L2).o Algeria have scored just two goals in their last 11 hours and 25 minutes of World Cup football.o Algeria have finished bottom of their group stage table with one point in each of their last two World Cup participations (1986 & 2010)o South Korea have ended the group stage with a record of P3 W1 D1 L1 in each of their last two World Cup participations (2006 & 2010).

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